How often do you show your feet some love? And we’re not talking about giving them an absentminded scrub when you’re in the bath. We’re talking about some proper care and attention.
Not very often?
We’re about to explain why your feet – one of the most unsung body parts – can be so important when it comes to supporting not only your body, but your health and wellbeing too.
Your feet are your foundation
First and foremost, your feet are your foundation. The two things that physically connect you with the ground below and support you as you go about your day to day life.
When they’re working just fine, you probably don’t pay any real attention to your feet. After all, how often do you enter a house and think, wow! I bet the foundations of this place are solid. You don’t, right? But a house is only as strong as its foundations and the same goes for you and your feet.
It’s only when your feet start giving you problems that you’ll wish you’d have taken care of them. Indeed, problematic feet can not only debilitate you, but also cause issues further up your body, including your knees, hips, spine, shoulders and neck.
But tending to your feet isn’t only helpful when your feet themselves are hurting. For example, if you’re experiencing muscle or joint pain, struggling with fatigue or brainfog, paying attention to your feet can be a solid place to start your recovery – especially when you’re feeling overwhelmed. That’s because doing so gradually builds up an overall body benefit and giving your feet a rub/massage is a simple daily routine to adopt.
Some basic foot TLC can go a long way
Start by paying more attention to your feet. Make it a habit to take a good look at your feet and give them a proper rub/massage every time you get dressed and undressed.
In fact, one of the easiest ways to build a habit is to tag it (link it) with something you do every day. So, for example, give your feet a good rub each time you put your socks on in the morning or take them off at night.
Or why not get your partner or significant other to give you a foot rub/massage. You can return the favour and you’ll both benefit from improved foot health.
Something as simple as a regular foot rub/massage can benefit you in three key ways:
Biologically
It stimulates the nerve endings in your feet and encourages more blood to flow to them. This is particularly beneficial as your feet are the body part that’s furthest away from your brain, and so stimulating them with a massage helps flush out your whole system – literally from head to foot.
Psychologically
Giving yourself a foot rub/massage is a simple act of self-care. It’s you showing you some self-love and that’s extremely powerful when it comes to boosting your health. Likewise, the connection made when a loved one rubs/massages your feet will be special and enhance your personal relationship.
Then there’s the fact that giving yourself a foot rub/massage is a good mindfulness practice. By giving your feet care and attention, and focusing for those 2-5 minutes on just your feet and not on everything else going on in your life, can also help develop an increased awareness of the physical experience.
Socially
As per the title of this post, “finding your feet” is a perfect metaphor for you taking control and proactively encouraging better health outcomes for yourself. In fact, metaphors involving feet are abundant and there’s a good reason for that: simply because your feet are such a fundamental part of your body and the support they provide is unrivalled.
And the three benefits we’ve outlined correspond with the 3D approach to health and recovery that we follow here at The Helpful Clinic. This approach focuses on the BioPsychoSocial model, looking at all the factors that affect your illness and symptoms.
You can find out more about our 3D approach to health in this blog post.
Very few things are so urgent that you can’t afford to take a couple of minutes to tend to your feet.
So start caring more for your feet now and see what benefits it affords. Don’t take them for granted anymore. It’s only a small gesture, but one that can help turn things around in terms of how you look after your body.
It’s also a great foundation on which to build and start looking at how you take care of any symptoms you’re experiencing, with the eventual goal being to move towards reduced symptoms and improved health.
Show your feet some love and they’ll reward you by providing a solid platform on which to live your life.
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Go gently, hold steady, stay the course.
All the best, Thor
PLEASE NOTE THAT THOR A RAIN IS NOT A MEDICAL DOCTOR. THE HELPFUL CLINIC IS NOT A MEDICAL CLINIC AND THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE
